Numel Line/ORAS
Numel can be found in both games; it is most common on Route 112. It can also be found on the Fiery Path and Jagged Pass. The Cameruptite is only obtainable in the postgame. Some players may think a Pokémon with a double weakness to Water has little to no place in Hoenn, but in Camerupt's case, that could not be more wrong. Enemies that do have Water moves are surprisingly scarce in major battles all across the region, and Camerupt is actually more likely to have to tank Ground-type moves than Water-type ones, especially in Omega Ruby, which is abundant in mirror matches in the Team Magma matchups. Solid Rock nevertheless helps with the tanking, reducing the weakness multiplier to a more reasonable 1.5; having no other weaknesses than Ground and Water, Camerupt will actually not find itself in much danger of being crit-haxed to death, and its poor matchups are largely due to a bad team combination and lack of opportunities to spam Curse. In terms of coverage, Camerupt is very well armed from the start, and only gets better later on; although not the best there is, it can turn out surprisingly helpful. Important Matchups * Tabitha/Shelly (Meteor Falls, tag battle with rival): Numel is at odds with the leading Mightyena: its Intimidate weakens Magnitude and Dig, and its Snarl does the same to Flame Burst. In addition, Snarl is stronger than Flame Burst after a single Special Attack drop, and Mightyena is faster. Tabitha's Numel also threatens to OHKO with a Magnitude 8 or better, and Koffing's Self-Destruct also chips away the majority of Numel's health; Shelly's Carvanha's Aqua Jet is a guaranteed one-shot. Overall, Numel should not be fighting in this battle. * Tabitha/Shelly (Mt. Chimney): Numel can win against Tabitha's Koffing with a 2HKO Lava Plume, if it already knows the move, though an Assurance followed by a Self-Destruct is highly likely to kill Numel; it can also 2HKO Grimer with Bulldoze or Dig. It should, instead, avoid Numel and Carvanha, both of which can kill with a high-roll Magnitude and Aqua Jet, respectively. * Maxie/Archie (Mt. Chimney): Numel should not fight Mightyena, which can both outdamage with Assurance and inflict confusion with Swagger; these two separate threats are even worse when stacked. Golbat's Wing Attack is also no laughing matter, as it 3HKOs cleanly; Golbat is also capable of inflicting confusion, through Confuse Ray. Camerupt OHKOs with Earth Power, and Sharpedo 2HKOs with Assurance; again, do not let Numel enter this battlefield. * Gym #4 - Flannery (Lavaridge Town, Fire-type): Numel's Earth Power OHKOs Slugma and the enemy Numel, and also 2HKOs Torkoal. * Gym #5 - Norman (Petalburg City, Normal-type): Numel is too frail to beat either Slaking, and also loses against Vigoroth, due to Vigoroth being faster and getting the KO boost on Retaliate on the first turn. Numel should not be used against Norman. * Courtney/Matt (Southern Island, tag battle with Steven): Numel is completely wrecked by Camerupt, though it can 2-3HKO Koffing with Lava Plume after Camerupt is gone; it also loses against Sharpedo's Slash, but manages to 1-2HKO Grimer with Earth Power. * Tabitha/Shelly (Weather Institute): Numel is significantly outpowered by both Camerupt and Sharpedo. An already evolved Camerupt, instead, can 2HKO Sharpedo with Earth Power and 1-2HKO the enemy Camerupt; the OHKO is almost always guaranteed, but Camerupt with a nature that subtracts from Special Attack and/or a poor combination of IVs and EVs may not OHKO with a very low roll, thus risking the OHKO from the enemy Camerupt in turn. * Rival (Route 119): Camerupt roasts Shroomish and Grovyle easily with Lava Plume, and OHKOs Slugma and Combusken with Earth Power. The latter can also 2HKO Marshtomp, though only Solid Rock specimens will endure two Mud Bombs before winning; other abilities will cause Camerupt to get likely 2HKOed by the move. Wailmer knows Brine, and is off limits. * Gym #6 - Winona (Fortree City, Flying-type): Camerupt 2HKOs Swellow with either Lava Plume or Rock Slide; while the former is more accurate, and more likely to break through Swellow's possible Double Teams, Lava Plume may burn Swellow and activate its Guts, making it more dangerous. Skarmory is OHKOed by Lava Plume, but Pelipper will OHKO with Water Pulse or otherwise come close; even Solid Rock specimens will be beaten, as Camerupt is too slow and cannot OHKO. Likewise, Altaria will 2-3HKO with Earthquake, and must be avoided. * Courtney/Matt (Mt. Pyre): A Solid Rock Camerupt has an exactly even matchup with Courtney's own, and will win if it can outspeed; Camerupt with other abilities will get OHKOed by the enemy's Earth Power, and should rather skip this battle. Camerupt has a better matchup against Matt's Sharpedo, which has no STAB moves and can be 2HKOed with Earth Power. * Rival (Lilycove City): Swellow is 2HKOed by either Rock Slide or Lava Plume; although Rock Slide is less likely to bypass Swellow's Double Team, Lava Plume can cause a burn and activate Swellow's Guts. Breloom is OHKOed by Lava Plume, and Sceptile is 2HKOed; Earth Power OHKOs Magcargo and 1-2HKOs Blaziken. Wailord and Swampert both have Water moves that can kill Camerupt from full health. * Courtney/Matt (Lilycove Hideout): Sharpedo still knows no STAB, and can be 2HKOed with Earth Power. The enemy Camerupt is also 2HKOed, as it no longer knows Earth Power. * Gym #7 - Tate and Liza (Mossdeep City, Psychic-type): Camerupt is at a serious disadvantage against Lunatone and Solrock, which are immune to its best STAB and resist its second STAB. Neither Lava Plume nor Rock Slide are strong enough to defeat them, so Camerupt should just stay out of the battlefield. * Maxie/Archie (Seafloor Cavern): Earthquake 2HKOs Mightyena and 1-2HKOs Muk; Camerupt can also win against Weezing by burning it with Will-O-Wisp, and then 2HKOing with Lava Plume. The burn is not necessary, but will save Camerupt from nasty Explosion damage if Weezing does use the move. Camerupt should preferably avoid Crobat, which can be 2HKOed with Rock Slide, but has a chance of 2HKOing with Acrobatics in turn; Camerupt also trumps Mega Camerupt, which knows no STAB moves, by 1-2HKOing it with Earthquake, but loses to Mega Sharpedo due to Crunch. * Primal Groudon (Cave of Origin, Omega Ruby only): Precipice Blades destroys Camerupt. Do not fight Primal Groudon with it. * Primal Kyogre (Cave of Origin, Alpha Sapphire only): Origin Pulse more than destroys Camerupt. Do not fight Primal Kyogre with it. * Gym #8 - Wallace (Sootopolis City, Water-type): Camerupt needs to keep away from everything on Wallace's team. Even Luvdisc can beat it, 2HKOing with Water Pulse. * Wally (Victory Road): Although Camerupt can 2-3HKO Altaria with Rock Slide, the move is not guaranteed to net the KO before Dragon Pulse, which is a 3-4HKO; in addition, Camerupt is better off keeping its HP high for Delcatty, which constitutes much better setup material for it. Since Delcatty's Feint Attack is very weak, Camerupt can Curse in front of it and then OHKO Delcatty and Roselia with Earthquake, as well as 2HKO Magneton (due to Sturdy), starting at +1. By Cursing until +3, Camerupt can also take on Mega Gallade, also OHKOed by Earthquake; Close Combat deals less than 50% after three boosts. * Elite Four Sidney (Ever Grande City, Dark-type): Although Camerupt's Earthquake OHKOs Mightyena even after just one Curse, and both Shiftry and Cacturne are OHKOed by Flamethrower, it is recommended for Camerupt to Curse at least two or three times: at that point, not only Earthquake will OHKO Sharpedo and Absol, Camerupt will also be able to take less than half in damage from Sharpedo's Aqua Jet. * Elite Four Phoebe (Ever Grande City, Ghost-type): Dusclops should be 2HKOed with Earthquake without wasting time on Curse, as Dusclops itself may Curse Camerupt instead, or confound it with Confuse Ray. One Curse use is optimal against either of the two Banette, as Earthquake will then OHKO them and also Sableye; setting up against Sableye, instead, leaves Camerupt vulnerable to a hurtful Foul Play, which can take away up to around half of its health. Dusknoir is either 3HKOed without Curse boosts or 2HKOed with one boost; both are fine, as its moves can at best 4HKO Camerupt. * Elite Four Glacia (Ever Grande City, Ice-type): Flamethrower OHKOs all of Glacia's team minus Walrein, which knows Surf, and should not be fought by Camerupt either way. * Elite Four Drake (Ever Grande City, Dragon-type): Camerupt 2HKOs Altaria with Rock Slide, but should not fight against any other Pokémon Drake has; they can either hit Camerupt for super effective damage, or they are just overwhelmingly strong. * Champion Steven (Ever Grande City, Steel-type): Camerupt 2HKOs Skarmory with Flamethrower, due to Sturdy, but can OHKO if the burn is scored. It should not fight Claydol, which is much too powerful; it can defeat Aggron if it outspeeds, instead, and still has its health bar full or almost: since Aggron also has Sturdy, Earthquake will only 2HKO. An alternative is to use Will-O-Wisp on the first turn and KO with Earthquake on the next, avoiding the nasty up-to-90% or thereabouts damage from Aggron's own Earthquake, but the accuracy of Will-O-Wisp is imperfect and a wasted turn will force Camerupt to switch out. It is also advised that Camerupt refrain from fighting Cradily; Earthquake is only somewhat stronger than Giga Drain, and the HP recovery would force Camerupt to engage in a healing war. Camerupt is also unlikely to prevail over Armaldo, since Rock Blast outdamages Earthquake starting at just three hits, and must not fight Mega Metagross, which can OHKO with Giga Impact. * Post-Game: Depending on the rival's team and the game being played, Camerupt may see variable amounts of additional action in this segment, though it will generally not be pitched against any of the legendary Pokémon. Moves At its earliest possible capture level, Numel knows Tackle, Ember, Focus Energy and Magnitude. Coverage in general is not a problem; it gets Flame Burst as soon as level 15, and can learn several TMs that can give it an immediate boost for smoother training. Amnesia, at level 19, is excellent if Numel is scheduled to fight against Flannery, as it shields it from the ominous Overheat, which still deals great damage despite Numel's resistance. At level 22, Numel learns Lava Plume, which will be its go-to Fire STAB until the Flamethrower TM is obtained; Earth Power upgrades Magnitude at level 26, though Adamant specimens may prefer to keep the physical alternative instead. Curse, at level 29, is an excellent move for physically oriented Camerupt to have in the long run, and it should be kept. Take Down instead, which comes at level 31, is nothing special. It is crucial to evolve Camerupt exactly at level 33, as it gets access to Rock Slide at that point, another great coverage move. Then comes Yawn, at level 39; while not bad in itself, this move is unlikely to find a spot on Camerupt's overbooked moveslots. Earthquake comes at level 46, around the same time when the TM becomes available, and is easily Camerupt's best available Ground move; Earth Power is unlikely to outdamage Earthquake, except on Modest specimens. The last two moves are not ideal: Eruption, at level 52, runs off a very poor Speed stat and is unlikely to ever deal more damage than Flamethrower, whereas Fissure, at level 59, is unreliable at best. Camerupt has access to several TM options. Lava Plume can be replaced with Flamethrower or Fire Blast at will, or even be run alongside Overheat, for the occasional power boost. In the short term, Flame Charge will help Numel outspeed its enemies after a turn or two, though Camerupt is too slow to make proficient use of it in the long run. Both Pokémon can run Bulldoze or Dig instead of Magnitude, for a more accurate and reliable base power; Earthquake is also available as a TM move, meaning it can be forgotten and retaught freely. Rock Slide and Stone Edge provide additional coverage, and one of them should be kept on Camerupt's moveset; Numel can also learn Rock Tomb while waiting on better Rock options. The last moveslot is more flexible: Camerupt can either run its level-up Curse to boost its physical stats, or Will-O-Wisp for a more immediate effect that does not vanish when switching out, though at the expense of foregoing the Attack boost; it can also opt for weather support in the form of either Sunny Day or Sandstorm. DexNav specimen get access to a few more options, such as Heat Wave, Ancient Power and Iron Head, but they are generally outclassed by Camerupt's natural coverage. A defensively built Camerupt may, instead, benefit from having Stockpile. Recommended moveset: Curse / Will-O-Wisp, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Flamethrower / Fire Blast / Overheat Recommended Teammates * Grass-types: Grass-types resist both Water and Ground moves, which Camerupt is weak to, and are fairly common in Hoenn. Having a Grass-type on board as Camerupt's companion is essential; they will complement each other's typings well, as Camerupt can also provide it support against Poison-, Fire- and Ice-types, the three main Grass weaknesses. Dragon/Flying-types notably also fit the bill better than Grass-types do, providing one resistance and one immunity instead of two resistances. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Sceptile, Ludicolo, Bellossom, Swablu Line/Altaria, Tropius, Salamence * Electric- and Flying-types: If Grass-types are somehow lacking, Camerupt's respective weaknesses can be covered by Electric-types and Flying-types. It is recommended to have at least one Electric-type in any Hoenn team, as they make the water-heavy segment of the late game much easier. Levitate users also fit the bill. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Pelipper, Gyarados, Crobat, Manectric, Skarmory, Flygon, Xatu * Fast hitters: Camerupt is really slow and also relies on Curse for several matchups, making it almost never outspeed a single enemy. It is essential to have fast Pokémon on board, to compensate for the most lacking of Camerupt's stats. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Sceptile, Alakazam, Crobat, Manectric, Starmie Other Numel's stats Camerupt's stats Mega Camerupt's stats * What Nature do I want? Any nature that lowers Speed, as Camerupt will not be outspeeding much. Brave and Quiet are preferable, as they give a boost to its good offensive stats; Relaxed and Sassy are second best. * Which Ability do I want? Solid Rock. Among all three possible abilities, it is the one that Camerupt is most likely to cherish, and that may save it when cornered by a nasty super effective critical hit. Despite the double weakness to Water, Solid Rock Camerupt are quite capable of taking Ground hits. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? As soon as possible, preferably shortly after Norman, or before Winona at the latest. Numel's evolution is not that early, and its potential as Camerupt is much greater. Numel also needs to evolve at level 33 specifically, as Camerupt gets access to Rock Slide then. * How good is the Numel line in a Nuzlocke? Decent, more than one would expect in a region so full of water. Camerupt's typing is actually quite good against anything but Water, and its stats are relatively balanced, making it just bulky enough to take a few hits and then KO the opponent in most situations. * Weaknesses: Ground (x1.5 with Solid Rock), Water (x4, x3 with Solid Rock) * Resistances: Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Fairy * Immunities: Electric * Neutralities: Normal, Fighting, Flying, Rock, Ghost, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Dark Category:Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses